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Rasmus Højlund is determined to prove himself “on the biggest stage” with Manchester United, although the centre-forward admits his 21-match scoring drought earlier in the season was a test of character.
Højlund’s goal in Thursday’s 4-1 defeat of Athletic Bilbao was only his 10th in 48 games, a return that has prompted some criticism. But the 22-year-old Dane is clear he can turn his form around. “I know what this football club is all about,” Højlund said. “It’s a lot of pressure, but that’s why I’m here. I want to show myself on the biggest stage.”
Despite scoring twice in his past three games, they were his first goals since the 3-0 victory at Leicester on 16 March, which ended the 21-game barren run.
“There’s been hard times,” said Højlund. “When I go without a goal in a lot of games, I wouldn’t say I lose self-belief, but you’re going to be a bit more down and a bit more frustrated. But then it’s about going back to the basics – focus on what I can and try to improve myself, try to talk with my teammates [about] getting [into] better positions, these sort of things.
“But when you ride a rough spell, when you come out the other end – that absolutely makes you better.”
Højlund is excited about United’s Europa League final against Tottenham at Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium on 21 May. “It’s good – I’m very happy with being in the final,” he said. “We play to win trophies and we are in a good position now to go and win a European trophy. It can give us something next year and the trophy is always very important, especially for such a big club.”
United sit 15th in the Premier League heading into a weekend and they could end up directly above the relegation zone should 17th-placed West Ham win at Old Trafford on Sunday and Spurs avoid defeat by Crystal Palace. Ruben Amorim made eight changes for last Sunday’s 4-3 loss at Brentford but the head coach rebuffed suggestions that he would rest key players such as Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire before the final.
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“No, they will play because sometimes it’s better to play,” he said. “What I will protect is the players that can get an injury. For example, Bruno, or the last game before Tottenham, but we moved the game to Friday, Chelsea, so we will have time to recover. We want to be competitive also in the Premier League.”
